Electrical fitting.



PATENTED JAN. 21, 1908.

F. A. SWAN. ELECTRICAL FITTING,

APPLICATION FILED APR. 22. 1907.

, mivelineans foraehcving the conneetionsbe- OFFICE.

"ELECTRICAL FITTING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 21, 1908.

. Applicati ou iilcd April22-19O7. SerialNo. 369.494.

- of Cliftondale, in the county of. Essex and State otqMassz'whusetts, have invented an Impro vementin Electrical Fittings,ol which the followingdescription, in connection with the .accoinpai iying drawing, is a specification, like letters on ithedrawings representinglike parts.

This invcn-tir 11 relates to electrical fittings in which coinlueting wires are connected to terminals orotherwire connections, and the ob-ject-otthe invention is 'to provide a fitting of .this character which will .be provided with tweenthe-conducting wires and. the terminals from any strain .due to ;t he weightof the conducting-wiresorwhich may be. applied to saidwires. 'As one.familiarillustration of' such fitting, I- will refer. to the ordinary electrical-rosette,-:,and to illustrate the invention '1 have chosentoshmv 'it as it maybe embodied in such rosette, although 1 wishit to be understood. that myinvention is not limited torosettesybut is adapted. for use in other electricalRfittings, such as outlet boxes, etc.

In some fittings, such as rosettes, it is more or lessncom-mon practice to tie the two conductingnwirestogether to form .a knot which is locatedwithin lthe rosette so that any strainon the conducting wires will come on the knot instead of on the connection be tween said wires and theterminals. This notice of tying the conducting wires into a (not, however, is objectionable, because .the

, forming ofxthe. knot is apt to break the insu- To avoid :this objection it has been,

lation. proposed :to-make specially formed rosettes which have as an integral part thereof means to friotionally-engage the conducting wires thereby tourelieve the terminals from strain.

Such specially constructed rosettes are apt vto be more or less expensive, and it is the object of my invention-to provide a novel means of relieving the terminals of the fitting-from StIitllirWliiQli can be applied to or .usedinconneet-ion with any ordinary fitting or rosette andwhich will not necessitate the .use of a special rosette.

In order toillustrate my invention I have shown it in the accompanying drawing-as my -invention;'-.Fig..2. is a section taken at the central aperture 11 and are t right angles to Fig. 1 Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the strain-relieving device with. the cords thrmrded therethrough; Fig. 4 is a top plan view of said device: and Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view thereof.

The rosette herein shown may have any suitable or usual constriwt-ion, and is illustrated as comprising the' base portion 3 which supports the usual terminal plates 4, and the cap portion 5 having the central aperture 6 through which extends the cord 7 comprising the two wires 8. l

The two parts ofthc rosette are shown as secured together and as secured to the ceiling or wall'by means of usual screws 9.

The parts thus far described are or may be of any suitable construction.

In my invention the terminalsof the fitting are relieved from strain by means of a onepieee strain-receiving device which is located within the fitting and which is arranged to have frictional engagement with the wires. In the embodiment of the invention herein illustrated this strain-receiving device is provided with wire-receiving passages or openings through which the wire can be threaded in such a way that there will be sutlieient frictional engagement between the wire and the strain-receiving device to entirely relieve the terminals from strain. While it is possible to make the button in various ways and yet accomplish this result, I have found from practice that the construction shown in the drawing is satisfactory, and have therefore selected such embodiment as illustrating the invention. bodimcnt the wire-receiving passages or openings are in the nature of apertures formed in the button, but this is not absolutely essential. The button herein shown which is designated 10 has a central aperture 11 and two pairs of wire receiving passages The button 10' is of a size to be received within the cap of the rosette, as shown, and when in use the two wires 8 are passed 11 through lien separated, one wire being carried down through one hole 12 and the other down'through the other hole 12 and said wires are then passed up through the holes 13 and'led to the terminal plates 4.

In this em- The button 10 may be 'rovided with grooves 14 connecting the ho es 12 with the central aperture 11, and on its lower face with other grooves 15 connecting the holes 12 and 13 of each pair so that the cords or wires 8 will be received in said grooves, as shown in the drawings.

When the wires 8 are threaded throughv the button, as thus described, all the strain to which the cord comes directly on t e button 10, and the connection between the wires 8 and. the terminal plates 4 is entirely relieved fromv all this strain.

It is not essentialto the invention that the wire-receiving passages in the strainreceiving device be in the form of apertures as the essential feature 1s to form such assa es so as ta ermit the Wire to be threa ed through or around portions of the device in a c1rcu1tous way so as to cause sufficient frictional engagement between the device and the wire to relieve the terminals from strain.

It will be obvious that t-afiiil v d strain-receiving device maydbe used with a variety of electrical fittings, but I have not attempted to show herein any fitting except a rosette.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure byLetters Patent is 1. The combination with an electrical fitting having a terminal, of conductingwireconnected to said terminal and a one-piece strain-receiving ,gmeans separate from the fitting and located therewithin and having frictional engagement with the wire thereby to relieve the terminal from any strain.

2. The combination with an electrical fitting having terminals, of'conducting wires connected thereto, and a strain-receiving device separate from and located within the fitting, said device having a'central aperture through whichboth wires are passed, and'a endant 7 is subjected,

through each separate pair of apertures through which each wire is subsequently passed, whereby said device takes any strain to which the 1 wires are subjected and relieves the termin'als therefrom.

' 3. The. combination with anelectrical fitting havin terminals of conducting wires connected .t ereto and a strain:- receivin device separate fromv the fitting and locate 'therewithin', said device having 'a plurality of wirerecei ving'- openings or passageways through f'which the, wiresare' passed in a circuitous manner -to provide frictional ention with terminals, of conducting wires connected thereto, and strain-receiving means separate from but situated within the fitting, said strain-receiving. means having a central aperture through which the wires I are threaded, and two pairs 01' a ertures pair of which one of t e wires is threaded.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

I FREDERICK A. SWAN. Witnesses: I

LOUIS 0. SMITH, EMILY C. Honcns. 

